FRESNO, Calif. - The Point Loma baseball team completed a four-game series sweep of Fresno Pacific to keep alive their hopes for postseason play. PLNU won Tuesday's opener, 10-5, as Adam Rios posted four RBI and Kellen Sheppard reached base in all five plate appearances. In the series finale, Sheppard recorded his fourth straight complete game to lift Point Loma to the 4-1 win.
 
The Sea Lions, which entered the series ranked No. 6 in the latest NCAA West Region poll, have now won seven straight games. They complete the 2017 regular season at 32-17 and in fourth place in the PacWest standings (23-13). Fresno Pacific ends its season at 19-26 (16-20 PacWest).
 
Game 1
Adam Rios went 2-for-5 with four RBI and Point Loma held on to defeat Fresno Pacific, 10-5. PLNU starter Trevor Abshire (6-3) allowed five hits and two runs while walking three and striking out four. He left after six innings with an 8-2 lead and 111 pitches thrown.
 
In the seventh, FPU rallied for three runs and were threating for more before coach Joe Schaefer turned to John Thomas out of the bullpen. Thomas defused the situation in the seventh with back-to-back strikeouts. He would stay in and pitch the rest of the game, allowing only one base runner on an error, to earn his first career save. 
 
"John Thomas did an outstanding job for us today," said PLNU head coach Joe Schaefer. "That was great work from him in a spot we needed it.
 
Rios, who was batting .191 when April began, now has his average up to .295 after recording his ninth multi-hit game of the season. Wyatt Champlin smacked his eighth home run of the season and was 2-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored. Sheppard also crossed the plate three times as he reached base all five times he went to the plate. He had three hits, two walks and an RBI. Micah Pries also recorded his sixth home run of his freshman season.
 
Nic Boatman (5-3) took the loss for Fresno Pacific after allowing seven hits and six runs in six innings of work. Baron Bower was 2-for-4 with two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base to lead the Sunbirds offensively.
 
Game 2
Kellen Sheppard improved to 4-0 with four complete games since moving into the series finale. Today he allowed just six hits and one run over seven innings of work, while walking one and striking out seven.
 
"Sheppard went out there and dominated with a depleted bullpen like we needed him to," said Schaefer. "That was an excellent job from him in a game we had to have."
 
The only run FPU scored off him came in the first inning. This is the only earned run Sheppard has allowed in 28 innings since moving to game 4. The victory was his fourth straight and lifted him to a career-high nine wins. He is now in sole possession of second place in Point Loma school history with 26 career wins.
 
The Sea Lions' offense supported Sheppard with a four-run third inning. Ryan Garcia provided a sacrifice fly and Colby Kaneshiro had a run-scoring single in the inning, but the big hit came off the bat of Mike Gordner, who drove in two with a two-out, bases loaded single.
 
FPU threatened in the fifth as they had two runners in scoring position with one out, but third baseman Matt Jervis was able to cut down the runner at home for the second out and Sheppard got Bower to groundout to squash the rally.
 
Kaneshiro had two of PLNU's five hits as FPU outhit PLNU in the contest 6-5. FPU's lone run come on a solo shot by Bower in the first.
 
Next games/Postseason hopes
The Point Loma baseball team will now await their postseason fate which will be decided on Sunday, May 14 at 7 p.m. as part of the NCAA Selection Show. Coverage can be found at NCAA.com. The NCAA West Regional will be held on Wednesday, May 17 through Saturday, May 20 at a site yet to be determined.